As chauvinistic as it sounds, historically the car hobby has been dominanted by males. There's no telling why this is, but it just makes all those "car girls" that much more special. There is, however, a large populous of females out there with gasoline running through their veins and an undeniable passion for style, performance, and all things automotive. With this in mind, Pontiac reached out to build a Firebird for a market that other manufacturers had overlooked-the female market.
The Blue Bird Is Born
In February 1976, Pontiac arrived at the Chicago Auto Show with a neatly dressed Esprit called the Blue Bird. The package was a precursor to the production Sky Bird that it influenced. Its paint was a pale blue not offered on other Firebird models, and unlike the later-to-come production model, it lacked extensive pin striping and a darker, lower two-tone color.
The Blue Bird was a hit, and it was slated for production the following year with the new nose design. The name didn't last long, however, as the Blue Bird Corporation owned the rights for its use in the automotive industry. The school bus manufacturer's name was dropped and the new moniker, "Sky Bird," took hold.
Debby Manning owns this pristine...
Debby Manning owns this pristine example of the special appearance Sky Bird package for the Esprit Firebird (code W60), which cost $385 in '77 money. Since the package was geared toward females, the decals and colors were very feminine. The bird decal is pinstriped and two tone.
By the time the '77 model year rolled around, plans were finalized for the package. The official color name for the upper body paint was Lombard Blue (code 21 borrowed from the Astre), with Bright Blue lower accent paint (code 58), despite the fact that Bright Blue was actually darker than the upper color. No other Pontiac came with the Bright Blue accent color.
Pinstriping was applied to the nose, hood, roof, sail panels, rear deck, and spoiler, and around the lower perimeter of the Firebird, to split the upper and lower paint colors. These were accompanied by stacked Sky Bird script at the front, rear, and sail panels and by ornate blue birds on the sail panels and rear spoiler. Later models in the Lady Bird series (Red Bird and Yellow Bird) would not have stacked text.
Color-keyed grilles and cast-aluminum snowflakes (YJ8) were also part of the package and were painted Lombard Blue, to match the upper portion of the body. Inside the Bird, custom velour seats (code 24B) dressed in blue material accent the two-tone blue interior, that featured a darker blue console, dash, and trim. Color-matched seatbelts (AK1) were also included, as was a blue Formula wheel (NK3), only available with the Sky Bird.
The most dominant color on...
The most dominant color on the Sky Birds was Lombard blue. The lower half of the car was painted a bright blue, accented by a dark blue pinstripe. Trans Am-style pinstriping was used all over the car, down the hood, and around the headlights and windows. The $51 optional rear spoiler is almost a necessity for Second-Gen cars, especially on this Sky Bird since the decals and script are prominantly displayed.
Pontiac certainly hit its target market with these blue belles-even thirty years later, as Debby Manning, a receptionist in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and owner of this '77, fell in love with the Sky Bird at first sight. As an avid enthusiast, Debby was passionate about Pontiacs and musclecars, was continually out on the show circuit, and locked eyes on a Sky Bird for the first time at a Cincinnati-area show in 2007. "I talked to the lady who owned it and I fell in love with that car. I added it to the list of cars I wanted to buy," she says. She had been looking for the right one for many years after selling her '74 Formula and regretting it ever since.
A few months later, she settled on a red '69 Firebird convertible. No, it wasn't a Sky Bird, but it made her happy, and she loved to show it off. The following March (2008), it was entered in the Cavalcade of Customs Car Show in Cincinnati. On the last day of the show, a gentleman named Larry Hay struck up a conversation with her about Firebirds. "He wanted to know if I would be interested in buying another car. Since I just got my convertible, I really wasn't in the market," she recalls. But the man insisted she take a look.
The car in question was a Sky Bird, it belonged to his wife, Elaine, and she would only sell it to a woman because it was "meant for a woman."
"I calmly told him that I may be interested, but inside I was jumping up and down. I gave him my number and couldn't wait for him to call me back," Debbie said.
In 1977, Sky Birds dash panels...
In 1977, Sky Birds dash panels were initially woodgrain, but eventually switched over to a Trans Am-style engine-turned. Most came with velour interior, as seen here, but some came with blue vinyl. Also note the blue Formula steering wheel, only available on Sky Birds.
Thankfully, this Sky Bird...
Thankfully, this Sky Bird was blessed with Pontiac power. Its 350 four-barrel pumps out 170 hp, 35 more than the base 301 two-barrel and 305 Chevy two-barrel's 135.